MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine and cocaine were the most common illicit drugs checked at NSW's inaugural pill testing site at Wollongong's Yours and Owls Festival on the weekend.
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The two-day music event last weekend kicked off Australia's first government-led pill-testing trial, and while there was an amnesty in the pill-testing tent, police still charged 23 people in and near the festival grounds for drug offences.
Of the 26,000 people who attended the festival, 103 visited the free pill-testing service located 100 metres inside the event's main gate.
Of those, 80 gave over their illicit drug to have it tested to see if the substance was what they thought they had purchased and if it had any dangerous additives.
Results showed 89 per cent (71 samples) of the drugs tested matched what the user thought they were getting.
"The results for nine of the samples were unexpected or inconclusive," a NSW Health spokeswoman said.
After results and health advice were provided by health workers, some festivalgoers still chose to consume their illicit drugs, while others discarded their drugs in the on-site amnesty bin.
NSW Health was unable to provide data on how many people discarded their drug.
"They were mainly discarded because they were not what the person had purchased or originally thought that they had purchased," NSW Health Minister Ryan Park told 2GB the day after the festival.
While the festival ran from 12pm until about 11pm each day, the pill-testing service only ran from midday until 6pm on Saturday and 1pm until 7pm on Sunday.
Drug charges for festivalgoers
During the two-day event, police made 51 MDMA detections and issued 18 cannabis cautions and 21 drug criminal infringement notices.
Six people were kicked out of the festival across the two days and 23 people charged with possession of a prohibited drug.
Among them was a 22-year-old man on Cliff Road who had MDMA on him at 3pm on Saturday, March 1.
Then, at 1.20pm on Sunday, a 24-year-old man on Endeavour Road told police he had drugs down his pants.
"The man was taken to an area and searched, where police allegedly seized a resealable bag containing magic mushrooms," a police spokeswoman said.
He was issued with a court attendance notice for possess prohibited drug at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday, March 25.
At 2.50pm on Sunday, a drug detection dog stopped a 20-year-old man on Endeavour Road.
Police found a plastic bag containing cannabis. The drug was seized and the man issued with a caution.
Pill testing in the festival
On day one of the event, authorities said if dangerous drugs were discovered in the pill testing tent alerts could be issued across the festival's public address system.
"No drug warnings were issued. No critical drug-related harm events were reported to NSW Health at the Yours and Owls Festival," the health spokeswoman said.
The day after the festival, Mr Ryan admitted on 2GB that as a policymaker and the father of a teenager, he found the issue of illicit drugs difficult.
"This is a challenge for me because I know the harms of illicit drug use," he said.
"This is about trying to provide as safe as possible environment for young people, and if it's done that, if it's helped one person, then, to be honest, it's probably a success from my perspective."
Peer pressure and a safe place to make decisions
The pill testing tent at Your and Owls was a discreet place away from the festival crowds for young people to have their drug tested and talk to health workers.
"It's a good opportunity for them to go outside the festival and the energy and activity of the festival and into a tent area where it was discreet and they could have a private conversation," Mr Ryan said.
"It allowed them to have a pause and have a think about it."
Mr Ryan hope that this privacy away from the festival allowed young people to make a decision without peer pressure from their friends.
It's a good opportunity for them to go outside the festival and the energy and activity of the festival and into a tent area where it was discreet and they could have a private conversation.
- NSW Health Minister Ryan Park
Anyone having their drug tested was required to sign a waiver to ensure they understood that it was "not a free pass" and that it was safe to take drugs they had on them.
"We just can't guarantee that whatever decision they make will see less harm, we just can't do that," he said.
"What we're they're saying to them is this is what we found, this is what the substance is, this is the potential harms that we know, this is the way you can reduce that harm."
More data on the weekend's pill testing is expected later this week
Nadine Morton
I report on crime, emergency services and police matters. Email me on nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
